FORT MILL, S.C. – Paul Silas’ heart fluttered when he showed up at the Hornets’ practice facility yesterday and was told starting center Elden Campbell, battling the flu, would be a no-show.

“My first thought was, my God, what else?” said Silas, whose leading scorer Jamal Mashburn is out for the series and possibly the playoffs with vertigo. “But after they said it was a 24-hour thing, I felt relieved because we have to have the Big Fella.”

Campbell and the stitched-up Jason Kidd are listed as questionable for today’s Game 4, but Silas expects both to play.

“That’s not going to stop [Kidd] from playing – a little swollen eye,” said Silas, who put his Charlotte home up for sale Friday following league approval of their New Orleans move. “Unless the thing is completely shut, he’s going to play. I let my guys know straight up he will play.”

Campbell, who’s had a soft reputation, should play but may not be effective. The Hornets are fine with backup center Jamaal Magloire getting more minutes, or even starting. But a limited Campbell means defensively deficient “Tractor” Traylor returns to the rotation.

Magloire, coming off a 16-point, 9-rebound, 6-block outing in Game 3, was motivated by chiding remarks by Byron Scott. The Nets’ coach said the way the Hornets were talking about missing the suspended Magloire in Game 1, it sounded like “Kareem” was coming back.

Magloire could start for at least 15 teams and Silas said “he could be an All-Star” one day.

“If I continue to play my game, the whole league will take notice of me,” Magloire said.

Silas believes Campbell was having his “most consistent” season. But the Hornets’coach admitted Campbell can sometimes be “too laid back.”

While Campbell stayed home, Kidd shot but didn’t scrimmage.

“You expect him to come back at his best,” said David Wesley, whose headache and red welt from the Kidd collision has disappeared. “Michael Jordan had the flu one year and still played well.”

If Kidd plays sparingly, Silas will use more zone. “(Without Kidd), their transition is not as good and you could really pack it in,” Silas said. “They’re just not as cohesive without Kidd. We seldom used [the zone] with Jason out there. If he can’t play, it’s a blessing for us, but I think we can beat them with him. When he got injured, we were handling the game as it was.”